A motion vector detecting apparatus generates motion vectors in units of subblocks (submacroblocks) and motion vectors in units of macroblocks on the basis of absolute difference of the individual pixels calculated by absolute difference calculating circuits. A switching arrangement switches the absolute difference calculating circuits to generate one of these two kinds of vectors. For generation of the motion vectors in units of subblocks, a motion vector search range can be shifted by adding an offset in accordance with, e.g., the motion of an image.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A motion vector detecting apparatus for calculating an absolute difference between each pixel value in a coding target block and each pixel value in a block as a candidate for a reference block in a motion vector search range, and generating a motion vector by determining the reference block on the basis of the calculation result, wherein the calculation is performed by setting a range formed by excluding regions far from the coding target block from a predetermined rectangular region including the coding target block as the motion vector search range.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a method of coding is one of standards of H. 261, H. 263, MPEG1, MPEG2 and MPEG4.
3. A motion vector detecting apparatus for generating a motion vector by using a block matching method, comprising: a shift register set in which a plurality of shift registers are connected in series, each pixel value in a motion vector search range is sequentially transferred from the first to the last of said shift registers connected in series, and outputs from said shift registers are independently led out; a plurality of selecting means provided in a one-to-one correspondence with predetermined pixel positions in a coding target block to receive a plurality of outputs from predetermined shift registers in said shift register set and selectively output one of the inputs; pixel absolute difference calculating means provided in units of pixels to calculate an absolute difference between each pixel value in the coding target block and each pixel value, supplied from said selecting means and said shift register set, in a block as a candidate for a reference block in the motion vector search range; and control means for controlling said selecting means by a predetermined control signal.
4. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: block summing means for summing the absolute difference of individual pixels calculated by said pixel absolute difference calculating means; and motion vector generating means for determining the reference block on the basis of the calculation result from said block summing means, and obtaining a motion vector.
5. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the motion vector search range within which each pixel value is input to said shift register set is a range formed by excluding regions far from the coding target block from a predetermined rectangular region including the coding target block.
6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined rectangular region is one of a rectangular region similar to the coding target block and a rectangular region different from the coding target block, and the motion vector search range is a rhombic region inscribed in the rectangular region.
7. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising reading means for controlling read of each pixel value in the motion vector search range to be input to said shift register set from an image memory for a reference frame including pixel values in the motion vector search range.
8. In a motion vector detecting apparatus for calculating an absolute difference between each pixel value in a coding target block and each pixel value in a block as a candidate for a reference block in a motion vector search range, and generating a motion vector by determining the reference block on the basis of the calculation result, a computer readable recording medium recording a program for allowing a computer to realize a function of performing the calculation by setting a range formed by excluding regions far from the coding target block from a predetermined rectangular region including the coding target block as the motion vector search range.
9. A medium according to claim 8, wherein said motion vector detecting apparatus comprises a shift register set in which a plurality of shift registers are connected in series, each pixel value in a motion vector search range is sequentially transferred from the first to the last of said shift registers connected in series, and outputs from said shift registers are independently led out, a plurality of selecting means provided in a one-to-one correspondence with predetermined pixel positions in coding target block to receive a plurality of outputs from predetermined shift registers in said shift register set and selectively output one of the inputs, and pixel absolute difference calculating means provided in units of pixels to calculate an absolute difference between each pixel value in the coding target block and each pixel value, supplied from said selecting means and said shift register set, in a block as a candidate for a reference block in the motion vector search range, and said computer readable recording medium records a program for allowing a computer to realize a function of reading out each pixel value in the motion vector search region from an image memory for a reference frame including pixel values in the motion vector search range and inputting the readout pixel value to said shift register set, and controlling the selecting operation by said selecting means by a predetermined control signal.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
November 1, 2000
July 17, 2001
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.